Ruiner of Alph

So, I wanted to start up a resource for newer players, as well as give other players a chance to discuss each of the Pokemon that comprise the RU tier, one at a time. Essentially, I'll post up a new Pokemon every Sunday. For the rest of the week, everyone will get to weigh in on the Pokemon in question.

General topics that I'd like to see discussed:
- What sets are popular and effective?
- What general roles and niches does this Pokemon fulfill?
- What advantages does it have over the other Pokemon with these roles? Disadvantages?
- What does this Pokemon effectively counter, check, and threaten?
- What counters, checks, and threatens this Pokemon?
- What are good teammates?
- How does this Pokemon fit into the metagame in general, and how has the metagame adapted to its presence?

Goals of the Project:
- To produce a great resource for newer players looking to get into RU. I'll keep a table of contents, so users will easily be able to find the specific Pokemon they want to learn more about, or simply read through the thread to get an idea of each Pokemon and it's effect on the metagame.
- To give RU players a chance to discuss, dissect, and explain their experiences with each Pokemon, how it best functions, and what roles it plays in our metagame.
- To create a more casual alternative to onsite analyses, driven by the experiences of everyone playing the metagame as opposed to just a singular, unified view. This should hopefully shed more light on the ups and downs of a Pokemon, and explain why various players would want to use or not use it.

Lantern has always been good, but it's worth noting that it is the only counter to Moltres now as LO Hurricane 2HKOes Slowking. The standard on site tank set is my favorite with moves-- Scald / Volt Switch / Thunder Wave / Heal Bell

I use Lanturn on almost all of my teams; Moltres is extremely threatening! Besides, it still checks a ton of other threats and is a great pivot on offensive teams. If I need something to take a hit, I'll just go to Lanturn and then Volt Switch out, instantly giving me the momentum. Thunder Wave and Heal Bell are also really useful on offensive teams, as they can help your Pokemon sweep by making them faster and clearing them of status conditions. So yeah the set that ThunderBlunder posted is pretty good imo :).

The other set I use is Rest / Sleep Talk / Scald / Heal Bell. As you could guess, I use it on defensively oriented teams. I want Lanturn to stay alive for a while in this case, and don't need it to provide me with momentum. RestTalk is somewhat good on Lanturn, as it has a 1/3 chance to wake itself up should Sleep Talk choose Heal Bell. You could also replace Heal Bell with Thunderbolt or something, it's just a matter of preference.

lanturn is an awesome pivot, even on more offensive teams, to get mons like braviary/entei/scyther in on common grass type switch ins thanks to volt switch while also providing said offensive team with heal bell, a moltres counter, and something to spread paralysis.

it also forms a good defensive core in conjunction with cryogonal to rapid spin and mesprit to set up rocks, take fighting/ground attacks and still provide a slow u turn pivot while keeping a decent amount of offensive pressure

Ruiner of Alph

Lanturn, while definitely a threat, is one that I find is fairly easy to check or counter. When I'm building a team, a Lanturn check or two is always there, but only because what checks it are good team options anyway. Base 67 Speed does it no favors, and anything faster with Earthquake will directly threaten, though most Earthquake users won't want to switch into Scald.

Although not exactly common, Water Absorb Quagsire is hands down the best counter to Lanturn; it's immune to Lanturn's STABs, carries STAB Earthquake to wreck it, and can even Toxic non-Heal Bell variants. With Unaware, Quag still does a fine job of keeping Lanturn in line. Opposing Lanturn also comically walls Lanturn, but neither will really be able to do much to the other unless one has Toxic and the other lacks Heal Bell.

Grass-types resist both of Lanturn's STABs, making them great checks as well. RU is filled with great Grass-types, from Tangrowth to Roselia, that can put a stop to Lanturn. Even down in NU, there are some great options. Leafeon is a wonderful counter, as it preys on Lanturn's weaker Defense and has Heal Bell to ignore a chance Scald burn. Sawsbuck can also put the hurt on Lanturn while healing up with Horn Leech. Amoonguss can Giga Drain or just put Lanturn to sleep with Spore, though it probably has better targets to pursue with that, considering the advantage it already holds over Lanturn. Also, it's not gonna be NU for too long >.>

Oh, and Clefable's got nice special bulk, access to Heal Bell, an immunity to burn or poison, and the ability to run pretty much any kind of set it wants to handle Lanturn. RestTalk Munchlax can also tank hits and doesn't fear status, though it can't really do much to Lanturn besides phaze.

Although Lanturn has a plethora of checks and counters, the list of things it checks and counters in return is just as long, if not longer. Resisting BoltBeam and Water-type attacks alone allows Lanturn to wall most other Water-types, while resisting Fire and Flying is a great boon given Moltres's popularity. I won't go into detail on everything that it checks, but I will say it can certainly pull its weight.

I would actually say that Lanturn is the best bulky Water-type in RU at the moment. With the rise of Pursuit trappers in Escavalier, Drapion, and Spiritomb, and the fact that Slowking can't stop some key special attackers (such as Nidoqueen and Hurricane Moltres), Slowking just doesn't quite cut it anymore. Lanturn's Water / Electric typing and Volt Absorb is very, very beneficial in this metagame. It's basically the only Pokemon that can reliably check Moltres, which is reason enough for any team to use it considering how difficult Moltres is to stop. It's not like Lanturn only checks Lanturn and nothing else either; it still checks a bunch of other stuff too. Magmortar, Magneton, Manectric, Omastar, Rotom, and Typhlosion are also checked easily by Lanturn in addition to Moltres. It also provides valuable cleric support for stall teams, and with the RestTalk set that DittoCrow posted it'll usually stick around long enough to keep curing your team of status and keep checking those threats.

I think where Lanturn really excels is on balance teams though. Volt Switch is extremely useful to keep momentum in your team's favor, and Lanturn's ability to check all of those Pokemon who could tear through balance teams makes it an excellent utility counter as well. It works really well with Moltres or Entei on these teams, since Lanturn tends to lure out Grass-types, and those two can easily rip huge holes once they get into the battle. Lanturn can also lure in opposing Lanturn though haha, so using an offensive Grass-type like Tangrowth or Sceptile works nicely to get rid of the opponent's Lanturn; they also complete a F/W/G core in tandem with Lanturn and the Fire-type of your choice. Defensive Lanturn is really good at the moment guys; use it!

Lanturn isn't just a defensive Pokemon however! A more offensively oriented Lanturn still works very well, even though it does make it so that Lanturn can't really check Moltres and such as consistently. Still, Water / Electric STAB attacks let Lanturn hit surprisingly hard, and it still has a powerful STAB Volt Switch to keep momentum. I've personally had a lot of fun with Expert Belt Lanturn; it might seem really weak, but it's fun since it bluffs Choice Specs really well, and Lanturn's great coverage lets it hit the Pokemon who think they can switch in on Volt Switch very hard.

i personally think sd gallade is still one of, if not the most dangerous pokemon in the metagame. the biggest problem imo with gallade is the 4mss, as it kinda definitely needs close combat and swords dance, but then after that it has to decide between zen headbutt/shadow sneak/night slash/ice punch etc. another problem for gallade has been the rise of cb spiritomb, which picks it off with shadow sneak. i use crawdaunt as a team mate for gallade, because sd gallade has the ability to punch through poliwrath and severely weaken/ko tangrowth and smash ferroseed, the primary crawdaunt counters. in exchange, crawdaunt provides a switch into cb tomb shadow sneak to set up, and the ability to murder scarfers/wear down generally bulky pokemon (beats cofag too). although it isn't really a team mate, spikes definitely benefit gallade a lot because most of its common checks/soft counters get worn down by spikes outside from like, braviary which is stealth rock weak.

although i havent seen much stall recently, gallade can break stall pretty easily with proper support, and fits well into the new metagame

it also has solid special defense + access to bulk up to run a more specially defensive set. substitute / shadow sneak / drain punch / bulk up seems pretty cool if you can take out tomb and cofag, especially considering the #1 haze user, cryogonal, gets ohko'd. choice band/choice scarf seem kinda redundant, and i think other mons can do it better, but looking at its movepool it also gets taunt + will o wisp, which seems pretty cool to shut down status while spreading your own. im gonna have to try that

editing this because i dont want to double post. ive been using this set

232 Speed outspeeds Modest Nidoqueen and acts as a great check thanks to Zen Headbutt, and also beats 24 Speed Cryogonal that seems to be becoming a bit more popular with the rise of Nidoqueen. The sheer power behind Close Combat even before a boost is awesome, ensuring that even if Gallade can't get a boost off it can still significantly weaken the opposing team. This is also a great stallbreaker for teams like Foundations, and i used this set along side Fraxure and Kabutops, and it does a great job taking out Gallade etc. Leaf Blade hits Slowking harder than Night Slash, but i'm switching to Night Slash to hit Sigilyph, Mesprit, Uxie etc. Shadow Sneak is cool for boosted priority but i always found it a bit too weak. I guess its cool to pick stuff off at +2 but i would rather hit slower bulky psychics harder with boosted Night Slash. Lum Berry beats Tangrowth unless it has Power Whip to hit you after a CC drop. I'm loving Gallade right now

Gallade is still absurdly dangerous in this metagame, especially with lum berry. Alex Wolf's bulky SD gallade is very effective (just look at his log against SV o_0). Even against fast, offensive, physical team, an example of a team gallade would usually fail horribly against he can still be effective purely from the absurd amount of power behind a LO CC.

Still really dangerous and would probably be UU IMHO if it wasn't for cofagrigus being so popular.

Ruiner of Alph

A new week, a new 'mon ^.^ Crustle's a bit of an oddball, but it's unique quirks definitely give it some niches. Discuss it's best sets, what it checks and counters, what checks and counters it, and what roles it plays in the metagame!

Crustle is an interesting Pokemon to play with. Though whenever I encounter it I never have trouble *with it, mainly because of how vulnerable it is to key types like Water and Ground. However I see it as one of the better SR setters and one that isn't helpless if taunted.*If played right Crustle can be a effective bulky offensive Pokemon it though needs its team mates to cover its weaknesses.

I found this to be one of the coolest set for Crustle. *Though I think Leftovers is much better.

This set really takes advantage of Crustle's Sturdy ability (I have more about Sturdy but I will post it later). Crustle has a guaranteed set up he is able to get at least one layer of spikes or set up SR. Even if taunted he knows he can land a hit. He can land super effective on common Taunters such as Aerodactyl and Qwilfish.*
Plus his set lets you be a Psuedo-Status sponge.*

Even though i honestly think Crustle is outclassed as a Spiker, i recently tried it on an offensive team that was having a lot of trouble with fast taunters like Aerodactyl preventing me from getting hazards up. Although it isn't incredibly fast like Accelgor or have access to a sleep move like Smeargle, Rock Blast and Sturdy are both pretty good reasons to use it. I used the lum berry set posted above, and it basically functions like Lum Uxie, albeit slower. Rock Blast means Aerodactyl has to pick between setting up Rocks or stopping me from setting up Rocks, and generally they just Stealth Rock and die, which means my team can still get Rocks up thanks to Sturdy. Crustle also beats Cryogonal, probably the most common Rapid Spinner (although Kabutops is pretty common too), which is another reason it functions pretty well as a hazard setter

I haven't tried the Shell Smash set yet, but it definitely seems pretty cool. The downfall to the shell smash set though, of course, is its low speed. However, Adamant Crustle with 244 Speed EVs will outspeed Sceptile after a Shell Smash so I guess its viable x)

Rhydon and Steelix are both pretty solid counters to Shell Smash Crustle, and can still beat the Defensive ones. Poliwrath acts as a good hard counter to both, although it can't stop Crustle from getting hazards up. Kabutops can threaten Crustle with super effective STABs while being able to Rapid Spin. Crustle's meh 70/75 Special bulk means it gets forced out by pretty much any water types or strong special attacker. Nidoqueen is another good hazards Crustle check, as it 2hkos and Crustle cannot do anything back.

Overall, while im yet to test the shell smash set (i will edit this post like i did with Gallade), i think the hazard setter is pretty outclassed unless you have a specific niche for your team like i did. It doesn't quite fit in with the stall hazard setters (ie: ferroseed/roselia), or the offensive hazard setters (smeargle/accelgor), it sort of sits with support omastar in the niche hazard setters group

Crustle is really bad imo. A lot of things in the tier set up on him, such as Kabutops, Cofagrigus, Gallade, and a lot of other because he is so weak. He is also walled by a lot of common Pokemon, so he can't even sweep with Shell Smash. I wouldn't use him as a hazard user either because that's just asking to get set up on. Other hazard users such as Omastar can at least pose a threat with Scald and Ice Beam.

Ruiner of Alph

Still the top dog in our usage stats, though one that might be moving up soon, Cofagrigus is everywhere. So, what are it's best sets, checks and counters, and roles in the metagame? As always, discussion on any and every aspect of the Pokemon is encouraged ^.^

OTR, while still a threat, really isn't top tier. Since pretty much everyone stopped using that horrid Sandslash, it no longer has the niche of being able to set up on the most common Spinner. In all the matches I've played against it, pretty much everything it has done can be summed up by "Killed by X." It doesn't get the same set up oppurtunities it once had. Between Nidoqueen, Moltres's spark in popularity, and Drapion's rise (which was partly caused by Cofag), it simply isn't as dangerous. I'm not saying it's NU, or even low RU, but it's settled into sort of the middle of RU. It's viable, it's worthy of a team slot, but that's it. As far as spin blocking goes, I'd rather go with something more specialized (like Banded-Spiritomb to beat Cryogonal, or Rotom to beat Kabutops) that suits my teams needs.

Rotom is frail and loses to most every spinner, for example, even Kabutops can win if Rotom switches in on the Swords Dance, as it is promptly OHKOed by a +2 LO Aqua Jet, while it has no hope of beating Cryogonal. Cofagrigus may have lost a little of its appeal thanks to new / rising threats, but it is still one of the best spin blockers / Ghost types available in the RU tier (lol misdreavus).

This is my favorite Cofagrigus set right now. This set defeats so many physical attackers with Haze and Will-O-Wisp, and it now has semi-reliable recovery with Pain Split. If I don't run Pain Split and need Cofagrigus to counter more physical attackers than usual, I will run Rest with a Chesto Berry. While Kabutops's +2 Stone Edge does 67.81 - 79.68%, you can at least burn it to prevent it from sweeping and Rapid Spinning for one turn, and then send in something like Lilligant to scare it out. There's probably a better EV spread but I just got lazy and chose max Defense xD.

Offensive Trick Room Cofagrigus isn't that bad, as many people don't prepare for it now since it's a forgotten threat :(. I usually use it as a late-game sweeper, as it still works pretty well when you've weakened the opposing team. OTR Cofagrigus is also pretty flexible, as you can change the Hidden Power type or get rid of Trick Room for something like Will-O-Wisp to lure the opponent.

I used to use coFAGrigus but now I have really gone off of him with the rise of offense in the tier because it needs 2 turns to setup and most pokemon can 2HKO it in the time it takes to setup or switch to an appropriate wall. I agree with omicron and ditto crow that it can still go defensive and be a great or the best spinblocker in the tier but personally I prefer spiritomb for that role. Many physical threats are walled by it or can simply be burned but I am not a fan of low accuracy moves like Willo defining the outcome of any battle so defensive cofag just isn't my style. I feel that OTR can still be used effectively but can't just be thrown in against sandslash anymore and is best left for late game sweeping or having teamates that U-Turn or Volt Switch get it in for free to setup on something like ferroseed.

Overall, i think OTR cofag took a huge hit as of late. Nidoqueen acts as a pretty solid check, survivng +2 Shadow Ball after SR and 2hkoing easily with Earth Power. CB Escavalier survives 2 +2 HP Fightings iirc and 2hkoes with a powerful CB Iron Head. LO SD Kabutops OHKOs otr cofag after SR with a +2 Stone Edge as well, and Cofag is walled by Haze Cryogonal, meaning that the only common spinner Cofag is beating is Sandslash, which is terrible. As a spinblocker in general, i feel that Cofag is outclassed this round by fast Bulky Rotom, which can "decently" block Kabutops while outspeeding Nidoqueen etc.

Though stall may be pretty dead this round, i still think that Defensive Cofag is probably the best choice as a spinblocker with its massive defensive, Will O Wisp, reasonably useful ability and Haze, as well as in general being more useful than Spiritomb, Misdreavus, Defensive Rotom, and Golurk.

Bulky CM Cofagrigus isn't actually bad either, I know Molk used it and had a field day. Cofag's massive defense coupled with Calm Mind allows it to become almost impenetrable, and Shadow Ball / HP Fighting has perfect type coverage as well as being able to hit common phazers like Steelix. Sadly, defensive playing is hard with Nidoqueen so its pretty hard to fit Cofag anywhere outside of otr, which is still threatening but commonly checked, as i mentioned earlier

Ruiner of Alph

Clefable's stats might not look like much, but it's movepool and abilities make it possibly the most versatile Pokemon in RU outside of Smeargle. Describe its best sets, counters, niches, and roles in the metagame. Anything is open for discussion about RU's cutest 'mon ^.^

Clefable defines four-moveslot syndrome. It would probably be good if it could have Wish / Protect / Stealth Rock / Heal Bell / Thunder Wave / Toxic / Softboiled / Seismic Toss / Encore all on the same set, but it can't, sadly. The support set gets set up on by a lot of Pokemon such as Crawdaunt and Fraxure, as its only attacking move is Seismic Toss. However, I will admit that Clefable has somewhat of an easy time getting a Heal Bell off or passing Wish. I haven't tried the Wallbreaker or Calm Mind sets, but it looks like they can surprise the opponent because most Clefable are defensive!

Clefable has it's advantages and disadvantages like every pokemon so to speak . The issue is ( DittoCrow pointed out ) , the four move slot syndrome . It has access to basically everything Blissey and or Chansey can do in OU besides the outrageous defenses . The high defenses on Clefable keep it in this tier as a great support pokemon . With several status moves and recovery it can work many different ways . Any combinations of the moves DittoCrow posted would work on one set because of the very large support movepool . The wallbreaker and Calm mind sets are a good surprise and tend to catch your opponents off guard and it can be effective .

Overall in the RU metagame Clefable can make an impact to either your team or your opponents .

These lists show how wide of a variety of moves Clefable can run and how it can play almost any role in a team. Clefable can work well on most teams but I feel it works best on tanky offense or stall because it can take hits as well as support a team with various moves.